CLICK HERE if you are having trouble viewing these photos on a mobile device
For some, Halloween is defined by how much candy they get trick-or-treating that night. For others, it’s all about the October lead up, which includes at least one walk through a creepy haunted house. Whether you prefer that house to have nightmarish scenes or maniacal monsters lunging at you is entirely personal.
Good thing the Bay Area offers a wide spectrum of scariness, from lights-on, kid-friendly experiences to twisted, ghoulish, interactive scenarios that leave grown-ups screaming for mommy. Here are seven standouts, rated by scariness.
Candle Lighters Ghost House, Fremont
Looking for a soft scare fit for little pumpkins? Every October, volunteers transform the 19th century Chadbourne Carriage House into the kid-friendly Ghost House, filled with fantastical sets, nice witches and a good fairy line, which lets the staff know you don’t want anyone jumping out and scaring your tyke. Check out the even-less-scary lights-on tour on Oct. 21, perfect for kiddos 6 and up. Don’t forget to hit the accompanying midway, which features an array of games to play for only 50 cents a pop and a country store. Be sure to get a caramel apple.
Fright factor: On a scale of 1 to 5, this is a 1.
Details: $3. Oct. 13-30. Start times vary. Chadbourne Carriage House, Williams Historical Park, 39169 Fremont Blvd., Fremont; http://candlelighters.com
Winchester Mystery House Candlelight Tours, San Jose
Guests are led by flickering candlelight through the most legendary haunted house in the Bay Area. Expect creaky stairs, scares, odd sounds and paranormal fun along the way, including a new, longer and slightly dizzying maze through 13 mystical doors purchased by proprietor Sarah Winchester that contain a power to consult and speak to the other side. Candlelight Tours sold out last year so purchase tickets soon and look for Early Value nights (Oct. 11, 17 and 18) when tickets start at $16.
Fear factor: 2
Details: $19-$49. Times vary. Through October 31 at 525 S. Winchester Blvd., San Jose; https://winchestermysteryhouse.com
Mayhem Mansion, San Francisco
Much like the Winchester House, the Haas-Lilienthal house is believed by many to be haunted. This month, the historic Victorian gets a cobwebbed makeover suitable, organizers say, for the 8-and-over crowd. From the start of the tour in the foyer to the end in the 21-and-over Spookeasy, you may come across cannibal-minded cooks in the kitchen, ghostly butlers and skeletal dinner guests in the dining hall and zombie-like ladies in the parlor. Just remember, if you hear rapping on the door or feet going up the stairs, it could very well be a ghost.
Fright factor: 3
Details: $25. 7:30 to 10 p.m. Oct. 20-21 and Oct. 27-28 at 2007 Franklin St., San Francisco; https://www.sfheritage.org
Halloween Haunt, Santa Clara
This year’s haunt at California’s Great America has all the freakish mazes — hello, Corn Stalkers — and frightening zones you’ve come to, ahem, love, but with a few surprises: A new Ripper’s Revenge (that would be Jack the Ripper) scare zone and a just-opened Tooth Fairy maze, where you’ll hear the droning drills of a demented, rusted wrench-wielding tooth fairy hungry to grow her dental collection. Did we mention the victims’ screams? Three scare zones, eight mazes, five shows and 20 rides make this haunt ideal for the intrepid, tireless trick or treater.
Fright factor: 4
Details: $20-$82. 7 p.m.-midnight Friday, Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 28 at California’s Great America, 4701 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara; www.cagreatamerica.com
Six Flags Fright Fest, Vallejo
What happens when you piss off Satan in his lair, or stomp on the Scarecrow’s crops in front of his army of undead? Find out at this year’s Fright Fest, which, like any self-respecting theme park, has hired zombies and ghouls to lurk in corners and scare you when you least expect it. There are four scare zones, including Mt. Rotting Cemetery and Arachnid Alley, four live performances — there’s a hypnotist show, of course — and nine pulse-pounding roller coasters that deliver a little extra thrill during Fright Fest. Not for the faint of heart.
Fright factor: 4
Details: $30-$45. Times vary. Weekends through Oct. 28, plus Oct. 8 and Oct. 29-31. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, 1001 Fairgrounds Drive, Vallejo; www.sixflags.com/discoverykingdom
Fear Overload Scream Park, San Leandro
Live horror entertainment. That’s the best way to describe Fear Overload’s two haunted houses. They’re the stuff of nightmares, really, with unsettling themes, like an amnesia ward wrought with a deadly virus infecting orderlies and patients, and a dirty washroom filled with malicious spirits and a girl who looks like the one from “The Ring.” Best, er, part? Only one dim flashlight per group. Described as “very scary with disturbing images.” We suggest leaving the kiddos at home.
Fear factor: 5
Details: $26-$51. 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 5-31 at 15555 E. 14th St., San Leandro; https://fearoverload.com
Nite Terrors Lab 5, Richmond
The creatives behind Nite Terrors are upping the scare tactics this year with Lab 5, an interactive haunt based on a fictional Ebola outbreak. Yep, they went there. It’s described as an intense (in all caps) attraction of sights and sounds. Here’s the scene: A mutation of the virus has been discovered that causes everything from zombie-like violence to an actualization of phobias. There are reports that the military is using an abandoned-house-turned laboratory to study and weaponize the virus. The website strongly cautions attendees: “If you don’t want to be frightened, have a heart condition, asthma, are sensitive to strobe lights or fog machines, pregnant or have any ailment that may be affected by this type of attraction, DO NOT attend.” Children under 12 will not be permitted without an adult.
Fear factor: 5
Details: $15. Times vary. Oct. 5-6, 12-13, 19-21, 26-28 at 2200 Hilltop Mall Road, Richmond; www.niteterrors.com
